Wireless communications devices, such as the cellular handsets, allow users to communicate in a variety of ways including real time full duplex voice conversations, pages, and text messaging. Communications also may be provided utilizing half duplex push to talk (PTT) functionality, that is, where a user can speak with another user or groups of users by simply pushing a button on his or her handset. Push to talk functionality is similar to that utilized in walkie-talkie communications. Specifically, only one party at a time can be heard when he or she “seizes the floor” by pressing and holding a PTT button. Once the button is released, the other participants in the PTT call have the opportunity to speak.
Push to talk capability offers the advantages of immediacy for short, straightforward communications, and for efficient group communications. While a conventional voice call may last for approximately two and one half minutes, an average PTT call may last for approximately thirty seconds. A PTT-enabled handset allows a caller to press and hold a button and to start talking within a few seconds of deciding to communicate, and even before the receiving party has taken any action to accept the incoming call. In this way, the customer experience for PTT is much more “immediate” than a conventional voice call which requires the caller to wait for the receiving party to answer the call. Thus, push to talk communications are favorable for immediate, straightforward communications, whereas conventional voice phone calls are favorable for longer conversations.
Unlike traditional voice calls, push to talk communication is an efficient method for quickly communicating with a group of people. Traditional group calls, or “conference calls,” often require coordination of a number of individuals who must decide to speak at a particular date and time, to dial-up a specific conference phone number, and possibly, to enter a unique access code to identify their group. In comparison, group push to talk calls are spontaneous and immediate at the press of a button. An individual can initiate a PTT call to the group within a few seconds of identifying a need for a group communication with little or no coordination required among the group.
Despite the growing popularity of push to talk communications, prior art communication devices, and their respective user interfaces (UI) provided by service providers, do not support the means to utilize the above stated PTT technology to its fullest advantages. For example, referring to FIG. 3a, a first carrier provides a single data base 58 that stores all contacts. The individual contacts 52 are presented on the display 50 to a user in a single list format. The user must determine which contacts are PTT contact numbers as indicated by, for example, small icons 54 adjacent each contact. A single list is cumbersome to use since the user must scroll through all contacts to find a specific PTT contact. In addition, groups of users are defined by a talk group number 56 which must be set up by the user's cellular service provider. Thus, the PTT service illustrated in FIG. 3a does not allow a user to quickly access a PTT contact. This type of service also does not allow a user to define his or her own talk groups on an ad hoc basis.
FIG. 3b illustrates a current PTT service alternative. Two separate databases 60, 64 are maintained. A phone contact database 62 stores all of the phone contact information, and a PTT contact database 68 stores all of the PTT contact information. The information in the two databases 60, 64 is not shared. Thus, the user must access the phone book screen 62 to place a call to a phone contact, and/or to update the phone contact data. Similarly, the user must access the PTT contact screen 68 to place a PTT call, and/or to update the PTT contact data. This type of a configuration necessitates that the user maintain separate entries in both databases for a same contact 66. Thus, for example, if a user wishes to enter contact information for a contact 2, then the basic information, such as the contact name, etc., must be entered in each database.
Therefore a need exists for a user interface that advances the use of push to talk technology by providing a quick easy efficient means for accessing, storing, and initiating contact with individuals or groups of individuals.